More advice needed Anyone ?

[Happygilmore]

Hello again, Still going through boxes of “Treasures” and came across this thing appears tome it’s some kind of attachment possibly from a tool kit or specialty tool ? Jaws open & close by twisting the nut on the stem. No manufacturer name just Pat’d Aug 10 1875. Any info appreciated. Side note I have found in these boxes a “ few” items identified as watch maker or jewelers tools. Don’t know if this may also fall into that category or not ?? Thank you Happy

 

[Shiftless]

That’s a hand vise.
Looks to be nicely made.

Could have been manufactured by Lowell Wrench Co.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Could have been manufactured by Lowell Wrench Co.

Almost certainly. That's definitely the Pollard patent. I have one branded Lowell, with a Braunsdoff-Mueller handle. Much more info, patent link, trade mag ads, etc, here, @Happygilmore

Lowell Wrench Co. Worcester Mass #1

They make a wrench called the Model 60 that has a 60" handle and weighs 100lbs! lowellcorp.com/products/model-60-socket-wrench-9-1-8-sq/

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Hello again, Still going through boxes of “Treasures” and came across this thing appears tome it’s some kind of attachment possibly from a tool kit or specialty tool ? Jaws open & close by twisting the nut on the stem. No manufacturer name just Pat’d Aug 10 1875. Any info appreciated. Side note I have found in these boxes a “ few” items identified as watch maker or jewelers tools. Don’t know if this may also fall into that category or not ?? Thank you Happy

Very cool.

 

[Shiftless]

Lugz:
Thanks for confirming my suspicions about Lowell Wrench Co. You have forgotten more about old tools than I will ever know.

 

[RTM]

This are the nicest of the hand vices, in my opinion. See this style often in jewelers catalogs.

Slightly different patent date on this one. This patent is not in DATAMP.

US670788A - Hand-vise. - Google Patents

Benj. Allen & Co. : Catalogue No. 22 of Watch Materials, Tools and Jewelers' Supplies : Benjamin Allen & Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

806 p., illus., 23.2 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You have forgotten more about old tools...

You have the forgotten part right. Sometimes a week later.

Seriously, good on you for recognizing it. If I didn't have one that was branded Lowell, I'm not sure I'd know it was Lowell, and looking up the patent date would only lead to Pollard. It was not assigned to Lowell. I'm not sure how they got their mitts on it, licensing fees or acquisition.

I will add, if you (or @Happygilmore, still no word back from him...) didn't follow the link to any of the material in my Lowell thread post, the action on the "light duty" variant (the OP's), which Lowell called a Pen Vise, with the knurled twist knob at the end of the shaft, is a Lowell tic. That's how the pawl in their early ratchets was switched. That wouldn't be strong enough to open or close the jaws on what they called the Hand Vise variant ("a much heavier tool, especially desirable for machinists"), which were actuated by turning the entire handle left or right.

Slightly different patent date on this one.

Not sure what you're referring to by "slightly." Completely different day, month, year (March 28, 1901) and person (Kreider), granted well after the Pollard expired. Or did I misunderstand your point?

 

[Happygilmore]

Thank you everyone, I’ll say it again, What a Great forum and a great group of people here. These are tools from a box that a friend gave me. That I look at and say to myself what was this used for ? I’m basically looking for sockets ratchets & wrenches in these boxes of treasures. But every now & again find something unusual. To Lugnutz : I don’t know if I completely understand what you are saying about something not being strong enough to open/ close the jaws ? My set I have to squeeze the jaws shut then turn the cone shaped adjuster. The jaws & the cone both move freely but the cone adjuster won’t turn with any pressure from the jaws on it ? I was thinking possibly the cone just needed polishing to remove any oxidation ? Again Thank you everyone the information I receive from this site is amazing and very much appreciated. Happy

 

[RTM]

Not sure what you're referring to by "slightly." Completely different day, month, year (March 28, 1901) and person (Kreider), granted well after the Pollard expired. Or did I misunderstand your point?

Sarcasm on the slightly. Too tired to read the patent yesterday, but the artist's rendering on the graphics looked exactly like real one, so when I started searching, I was expecting some tie to the one you linked. "Improvement on", same inventor, same factory (,only unknown), but nothing. Only typography was close to similar.

 

[Shiftless]

good on you for recognizing it

Thanks
I think I have a little Lowell hand vise somewhere in my vise collection. I’ll check later and edit this post with a pic if I find it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I don’t know if I completely understand what you are saying about something not being strong enough to open/ close the jaws ? My set I have to squeeze the jaws shut then turn the cone shaped adjuster. The jaws & the cone both move freely but the cone adjuster won’t turn with any pressure from the jaws on it ?

I don't have your Lowell Pin Vise model, with the knob (or "nut" as you called it) at the back of the shaft, so I don't know how it works, I may have misread how you described it working, and I shouldn't have made those adjusting strength comments, which may have inferred too much from the "light duty" and "much heavier" descriptions of the Lowell Pin Vise and the Lowell Hand Vise, respectively, that the trade mags allude to.

With the Hand Vise, the cone is part of the entire handle, which is threaded onto a threaded stem of the jaws. To loosen the jaws from the work object, you twist the entire handle left/CCW. To tighten the jaws around the work object, you twist the entire handle to the right/CW. If you followed my link (post #3), you can see photos of my Hand Vise as well as number of trade mags showing and describing the Pin Vise and the Hand Vise.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I think I have a little Lowell hand vise somewhere in my vise collection. I’ll check later and edit this post with a pic if I find it.

Cool. I'm eager to see if it's the same as mine. If you missed it, it's in the post on the Lowell thread that I am linking in post #3.